This invention relates to packing elements of the type that are often called xe2x80x9crandomxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cdumpedxe2x80x9d packings. Such packings are used to fill towers units in which mass or heat transfer processes occur. A particularly important application is the use of such ceramic elements in heat recovery operations where it is necessary to provide maximum effective contact with hot fluids passing through the reactor. Another key factor in maximizing efficiency is the maintenance of as low a pressure difference between top and bottom of the tower as possible. To ensure this the packing elements should present the minimum resistance to flow. This is promoted by very open structures but open structure alone is of limited use if the elements in the tower nest together such that parts of one packing element penetrate within the space of a second element. It is therefore important that the design of the elements minimize the tendency of the elements to nest together.
The present invention relates particularly to ceramic packing elements that are produced by an extrusion or a dry-pressing process and hence have an essentially uniform cross-section along one axial direction which provides an axis of symmetry for the element. Several such shapes have been described in the art ranging from the very simple to the complex. All are based on an essentially cylindrical shape and differ basically in the internal structure within the cylindrical shape. The simplest structure is a basic cylinder with no internal structure at all. This type of structure is often called a Raschig ring and has been known for many years. At the other end of the complexity scale are the structures described in U.S. Design Pat. No. 455,029 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,915. Between the extremes there are simple wagon-wheel shapes such as are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,907,710 and 4,510,263.
It has now discovered that the dimensions of these shapes are critical to achieving optimum performance and the range of dimensions for such optimum performance has not been taught in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,263 teaches L:D ratios of 0.5 to 5 but indicates that preferred ratios are from 0.5 to 2. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,710 there is no teaching on the aspect ratio but the Examples use elements with the ratio of 1. U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,178 which teaches cylindrical ceramic elements as catalyst supports, also does not teach specific preferred aspect ratios but utilizes in the Examples elements with aspect ratios of 2.11.
The present invention provides a ceramic packing element having an essentially cylindrical shape with an axis of symmetry in the direction of extrusion defining the length of the element and a greatest dimension perpendicular to the length defining the diameter of the element in which the ratio of the diameter to the length is from 2.7 to 4.5 and preferably from 3.0 to 4.4.
The element is defined as having a containing structure that is essentially cylindrical shape and this is understood to include shapes in which a round cylindrical shape has been somewhat flattened to create an oval cross-section as well as polygonal shapes with at least five sides. The space within the containing structure can have a plurality of septa or none but since a primary application is in the field of heat transfer in which surface area becomes very significant, it is preferred that significant internal structures are provided. In the context of this invention the term xe2x80x9cseptumxe2x80x9d (plural xe2x80x9cseptaxe2x80x9d) is used to describe structural member connecting one interior part of the cylindrical containing-structure with another. It therefore includes structures with lengths up to and including diameters.
The ceramic elements of the invention can be formed from any suitable ceramic material such natural or synthetic clays, zeolites, cordierites, aluminas, zirconia, silica or mixtures of these. The formulation can be mixed with bonding agents, extrusion aids, pore formers, lubricants and the like to assist in the extrusion process and/or to generate the desired porosity or surface area for the intended application.
The elements can be used in mass transfer applications or as bases upon which catalytic components are deposited. The elements are particularly suitable for mass transfer applications involving heat recovery from streams of hot gases. An example of such an application is found in thermal regenerators attached to plants whose function is to burn off any combustible material from a waste gas stream. In such regenerators it is vital for efficient operation that the heat values from the exhaust gas stream be used to heat up the incoming waste gas to be treated so as to minimize the cost of fuel required to burn off the combustible material. The present invention teaches a way to optimize the element design to achieve this end.
The elements can however be used with advantage in any application in which the surface area is an important factor in determining the efficiency with which the elements perform their assigned task.